President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar unveiled Türkiye's expanding ambitions to reshape regional energy routes on Friday, promoting new oil, gas and electricity corridors stretching from Central Asia and the Gulf to Europe amid mounting geopolitical instability.
Speaking at the International Natural Resources Summit (INRES) in Istanbul, Bayraktar warned that the world had entered an "age of uncertainty" marked by wars, supply chain disruptions, energy crises and intensifying global competition over critical minerals and strategic infrastructure.
The clearest signal from the summit came through Türkiye's push for alternative energy routes designed to reduce dependence on vulnerable chokepoints and strengthen regional integration.
Bayraktar proposed extending the Iraq-Türkiye oil pipeline to Basra, saying Iraqi crude would need an alternative export route if instability disrupts shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. He also revealed plans for a major electricity interconnection project running from Saudi Arabia through Jordan and Syria into Türkiye, alongside expanded green energy transmission initiatives linking Azerbaijan, Georgia, Türkiye and Bulgaria.
